Direct-to-consumer (D2C) tea brand Esah Tea, operated by Ruloi Tea Trading Pvt. Ltd., has raised Rs 3 crore (around $400,000) in a pre-series A funding round from NEDFI Venture Capital Ltd.

The startup plans to use the raised funds to expand the marketing and operations team, develop new products, and launch brand stores in new geographies.

Esah Tea | Handcrafted, Organic, True

Founded by Bijit Sarma in 2019, Esah Tea is an Assam-based direct-to-consumer (D2C) tea brand that delivers fresh teas straight from artisanal small tea growers of Assam and Northeast. The tea brand currently offers organic tea variants like whole leaf black tea, green tea, oolong tea, among others. 

Speaking on the fundraise, Bijit Sarma said,

“The tea from India has always received a lot of acknowledgements in the domestic and international market. However, over the years, over-commercialization dented the authenticity of the product. Esah aims at reviving the same by empowering local small tea gardeners and delivering single-origin, Artisanal fresh teas. We are glad that our esteemed array of investors infused their trust into our business model.”

Following an eco-friendly approach ditching the use of plastic teabags and any other harmful substances in their packaging, Esah Tea has developed the world’s first plastic-free organic cotton tea bags that are handmade out of pure cotton and cellulose base.

The D2C tea brand claims to be the first tea startup from Assam to raise venture funding. It had earlier raised angel investment from SRD Group and Grant From Assam Startup and NEAT-E-Hub.

The startup sells its products through its website and online marketplaces, such as Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal. Delivering its products to more than 25 countries, Esah Tea is planning to convert over 20,000 acres of land to organic tea cultivation and onboard around 1,000 local small tea growers by 2023.

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